Tube handling apparatus



Sept. 12, 1933. H. J. BURNISH TUBE HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 20, 1952 s Sheets-Sheet 1 NVENTOR Sept. 12, 1933.

H. J. BURNlS H TUBE HANDLING APPARATUS a Sheets-Sheet '2 Filed Aug. 20, 1932 Sept. '12, 1933.

' H.' 'J. BURNISH TUBE HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 20, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet I I .NIVENTOR I \L if; w /mm I aw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TUBE HANDLING APPARATUS Howard J. Burnish, Sewickley, Pa., assignor to Spang, halfant & 00., Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporati n of Pennsylvania Application August 20, 1932. Serial No. 629,630 7 Claims. (01. 193-35) My invention,relates to a tube-handling aplimited in its movement toward the standard 12 Daratus. by the retaining ring 20 seated in a recess in the One object of this invention is to provide a. adjacent end of the sleeve and overlapping a means for first conveying tubes or objects of portion of the collar 18, the ring being connected similar shape longitudinally and then dischargto the sleeve by the lag-bolts 21. The end of the 0 ing them by feeding them laterally or transversecollar 18 opposite the ring 20 has the annular ly of their length. More particularly, it is an obrecess 22 having its inner side, or the side facing ject feeding the tubes or the like longitudinally away from the standard 12, provided with the on a series of circumferentially-grooved rollers retaining ring 23 fastened to the collar by the or drums having collapsible ends which when bolts 24 which pass entirely across the recess 22 65 collapsed permit the tubes or the like to move and into the collar 18. The recess contains the laterally away from the rollers or drums. Aninner ends of a circular arrangement of radial other object is to provide means whereby the lugs 25 clamped by the bolts 24 tightly between collapsible end portions of the several rollers or the collar 18 and the ring 23. The inner ends of 5 drums may be simultaneously actuated either to the lugs have the heads 26 arranged in succes- 7o discharge the tubes or the like or to restore them sion with the sides of consecutive heads in conto their normal feeding conditions. Other obtact and forming a complete rigid circle. The jects appear hereinafter. outer ends of lugs 25 are pivotally connected to Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. the inner ends of the links 27 by the pivot bolts 1 is partly a side elevation and partly a vertical 28, the outer ends of the links being pivotally 75 section of one of my feeding rollers or drums toconnected by the pivot bolts 29 to ears 30 on the gether with a portion of the operating mechainner faces of the collapsible arms 31. The innism therefor, only two of the collapsible arms ner ends of the arms are connected by the pivot being shown; Fig. 2, a plan view showing three bolts 32 to the ears 33 extending out from the feeding rollers or drumstogether with a portion face 16 and belonging to the bolts 34 secured to 80 of the mechanism for operating them; Fig. 3, an the face 16 by the nuts 35. The ears are posiend elevation showing one end of a roller or tioned so that the inner ends of the arms 31 lie drum, portions being omitted or broken/away; about opposite the inner end of the periphery 17. and Fig. 4, an enlarged horizontal sectional de- The links 27 are of such length that, when they tail showing a part of the mechanism for operare radial or in line with the studs 25, they hold 85 ating the collapsible arms of one roller or drum. the outer ends of the arms so that they are in- On Fig. 2, Ihave shown three collapsible rollers clined at the same angle with the axis of rotaor drums in their collapsed condition. They tion of the roller as the periphery 1'7 is inclined are horizontal and parallel. The number of the to the same axis, but the arms 31 and the pe- 85 rollers will be sufficient to receive and convey the riphery 17 are inclined in opposite directions so 90 longest tube to be conveyed. As the rollers are that the angle between each arm and the periphall alike, I will describe one only and apply the cry is V-shapecl with the angle of the V extending same reference numerals to all of them to desigtoward the axial center of the roller. Thus there nate correspondi parts. extends peripherally around each roller 2. V-

Each roller is mounted on a horizontal shaft shaped groove in which the pipes to be fed, rest. 95 10 rotarily supported by the two spaced-apart 36 is a shaft lying the same horizontal plane standards 11 and 12. Each roller has the cenas the shafts 10, but at right angles and oppotral sleeve 13 keyed to the shaft and extending site thereto. It is supported rotarily in bearings substantially radially from the sleeve nearest the in the standards 37. The shaft has thereon an standard 11, or about one-half thereof, has in-- eccentric or cam 38 opposite the end of each 100 tegral therewith the frusto-conical portion 14. shaft 10 which operatively support a well-known The larger end 15 of the portion 14 faces out strap 39 which is connected to a pitman 40 havwardly or toward the standard 11 while the ing the end remote from its strap pivotally conma r end 16 i n r th c n ral part of the nected by the cross-pin 42 to a rod 41 slidable sleeve and at right angles therewith. 17 is the axially in the adjacent shaft 10. Each rod 41 tapered peripheral member of the frusto-conical supports a cross-head 43. The ends of the crossportion 14. pin or pivot 42 extends beyond the sides of the The sleeve carries the splines 19 which cause cross-head to form pivotal supports or pivots 44. the collar 18 to rotate with the sleeve, but al- The pivots 44 support one end of each of the lows it to slide thereon axially. The collar is links 45, the remaining ends of the links being pivotally connected to the trunnions or pins 48 on the opposite sides of the non-rotary ring 46 having a flange 47 seated in an annular groove in the periphery of the collar 18.

A pipe not shown is fed to the left on Fig. 2, the pipe resting in the V-shaped grooves formed by the peripheries 17 of the rollers and the inclined arms 31 expanded as shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 3. The rollers may be caused to operate by any suitable power, not shown, or by the friction of the pipes if fed positively. When a pipe passes the last roller it engages the stop 50 of any suitable construction. At this time the cam shaft 36 is set in rotation, the eccentrics operating through the straps 39, the pitmen 40, the cross-heads 43, the links 45 and the ring 46 to shove the collars 18 and the lugs 25 toward the standard 11. This movement of the lugs moves the links 27 to the dotted positions which pull the arms 31 into their collapsed or substantial positions also shown in dotted lines in Fig. l. Assoon as the arms have collapsed as in Fig. 2, the pipe rolls down on the skids 51. The continued rotation of the cam shaft will restore the collars 18 to their full-line positions, at which time the arms 31 will all be expanded ready to receive another pipe. The cam shaft may be operated by any suitable power device. As an indication of a power device, I have shown the motor 52 which operates the shaft 36 through the reduction gear box 53. The control of the motor is not shown and may be of any suitable type readily supplied by those acquainted with electric or other motors and their controlling means.

I claim:-

1. In a conveying roller for tubes and the like, an axially rotatable member, a sleeve member carried by the axially rotatable member and concentric therewith, an axially arranged conical member integral with the sleeve member, a circular series of arms having one end pivotally supported adjacent to the smaller end of the conical member and concentric with the rotatable member, a collar slidably splined on the end of the sleeve member opposite the conical member, links pivoted at their opposite ends to the collar and the inner faces of the arms, and means for sliding the collar on the sleeve member, whereby when the collar is not in its outer position, the arms are extended to form a V-groove around the roller, and when the collar is in its inner position, the arms are drawn inwardly to discharge a pipe or the like from the roller laterally.

2. Ina conveying roller for tubes or the like, an axially rotatable member, a roller member carried by the said rotatable member and having a peripheral groove, one side of the groove comprising a circular series of arms having their ends pivoted to the central portion of the roller member, said roller member having a sleeve portion and a conical portion, a collar slidable axially on the sleeve portion and rotatable therewith, links pivotally connected at one end to the collar and at the other end to the inner faces of the respective arms, the links being substantially radial when the arms are expanded to form one side of the groove and to lock the arms in their expanded position, and means for sliding the collar to flex the links and draw the arms down to allow a pipe or the like in the groove to escape laterally from the groove.

3. In a conveying roller for tubes or the like, an axially rotatable member, a roller carried by the said member and having a peripheral groove, one side of the groove comprising a circular series of arms having their inner ends pivoted to the central portion of the rotatable member, a collar slidable axially on the rotatable member and within the space enclosed by the arms, radial lugs secured to the collar and projecting beyond the same, links pivotally connected atone end to the lugs and at the other end to the inner faces of the respective arms, the links being substantially radial when the arms are expanded to form one side of the groove and to lock the arms in their expanded position, and means for sliding the collar to flex the links and draw the arms down to allow a pipe or the like in the groove to escape laterally from the groove.

4. In a conveyor for tubes or the like, a plurality of parallel rollers, each having a grooved periphery, one side of each groove comprised of collapsible pivotal arms which when extended form one side of each groove, a shaft, a cam on the shaft opposite each roller, and means connecting the cams to the respective arms, whereby the rotation of the shaft will at one period expand the arms to form one side of the V-grooves in the rollers and at another period collapse them and permit'a tube or the like being conveyed on .the rollers to escape laterally from the rollers.

5. In a conveyor for tubes or the like, a plurality of parallel rollers, each having a grooved periphery and a sleeve portion, one side of each groove composed of collapsible pivotal arms, a collar slidably mounted on the sleeve portion of each roller, links pivotally connected to the collar at one end and to the inner face of each of the arms at the other, and means for stopping the movement of the collars so that the links are radial when the arms are expanded.

6. In a conveyor for tubes or the like, a plurality of parallel rollers, each having a grooved periphery, one side of each roller being comprised of collapsible arms which when expanded form one side of the grooved periphery, and means whereby the arms of the rollers may be simultaneously collapsed to discharge a tube therefrom.

7. In a conveyor for tubes or the like, a plu- 

